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'Monkey Bars' review or 'When I grow uuuuup!'

'Monkey Bars', devised by Chris GoodeUnicorn Theatre, 10th January 2013Written for Time Out

Here's
a slap in the face to those who believe verbatim theatre is a sterile
genre. Chris Goode and Company's 'Monkey Bars' is based on a series of
interviews with eight-to-ten year olds, their words re-interpreted by
adult actors. It is a profoundly moving show, which reminds us that,
deep down inside, we're all still the children we used to be.In a
stroke of conceptual genius, Goode places the children's conversations
within an adult framework. An earnest discussion about bubblegum is
re-imagined as a job interview, a girl eulogises about cake to strains
of classical music and a bunch of boys boast about their 'mountains of
money' over post-work drinks.Such clever juxtapositions yield
great insight. We realise that everything we take so seriously today -
job interviews, debates, therapy - is simply an extension of our
childhood games, only the vocabulary has shifted . Is growing up just
about expressing the same beliefs and passions only with slightly
fancier words?The superb cast generates great swells of warm
humour, whilst never pandering for laughs. Christian Roe and Philip
Bosworth are brilliant as two nattering young chaps, bemoaning the state
of Britain. They resemble bitter old men and suggest just how early on
we begin to grow old.The cast delivers the children's hopes for
fame, fortune and super human strength with absolute sincerity. We
remember the endless optimism and fearless honesty of youth. Children
are exactly like us, says Goode - only with the protective layers of
bullshit and doubt stripped right off.